Knitting machine



March 31, 1942 c. w. sTRALKowsKl 2,277,796

.KNITTING MACHINE Filed Deo. 14, 1938 :Snventor C//euss hf. 5mn/.Komm

www@ @Mg Eatented Mar. 3l, 1942 UNrrli-:D STATES' .PATENT oEFlcE CharlesW. Strzalkowski, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application December 14, 1938, Serial No. 245,616

s claims. (c1. sas-sz) brought to rest, may be adjusted out of its nor-My invention relates to improvements in knitting machines, withparticular reference to multiple section flat knitting machines, such asare employed for knitting full-fashioned hosiery. The term sectio isherein usedto define a complete assembly of needles and operatingequipment employed for `'knitting a single blank. The number of sectionsin the machine corresponds to the number of blanks to be simultaneouslyknittedall of the sections being normally actuated 'from a common sourceof power.

'I'he object ,of mycinvention is to provide means for rendering anyindividual needle bar temporarily inoperative for the purpose of'repairing or replacing needles while allowing the remainder of themachine to continue in normal operation.

The needle bars of 'at knitting machines must be operated withprecision, and the operating' mechanism is factory predetermined as toposition with reference to the oscillatory shaft or rock shaft fromwhich all the needle bars in the machine are raised and lowered in timedrelation to other normal operations of the machine.

Itis therefore a specc object to provide means whereby any given needlebar may be temporarily brought to rest without disturbing therelationship of its operating mechanism to the main rock shaft fromwhich all o f the otherneedle bars are being raised and lowered.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby any needlebar which is temporarily brought to rest may preserve its relationshipto the operating mechanism so completely as to allow instant restorationto operating condition.

A more specific object is to provide a flat knitting machine with a setof longitudinally divided bars, one section of which may serve as asupporting portion in permanently xed relation to the operatingmechanism, whereas the needle carrying portion or needle bar may bewholly or partially separated, but capable of precise restoration to afactory predetermined relation- -ship with its supporting or operatingsection.

A further object is to provide means whereby the needle bars of a atknitting machine may be normally latched to the operating mechanism andbrought to rest only after a manual release of the latches; to providemeans whereby such a needle bar may be instantly brought to rest afterrelease of the latches and without any cessation in the operation of theother parts of the machine; to provide means whereby each needle bar,when brought to rest or preparatory to being mal relationship to thesinker head, and then supported in a stationary position independentlyof its individual operating mechanism, the latter f being continued inoperation as above stated.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation of one section of a fiat knitting machine,showing the needle bar operating shafts in cross section, and withdotted lines illustrating the needle bar and its supporting lever in aninoperative position.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same showing fragments of adjacent needlebar sections.

Figure 3 is a detailshowing one of the needle bars and a fragment of itssupporting lever in elevation.

Figure 4 is a detail view taken at right angles to Figure 3 and showingthe needle bar and cross head in cross section, exposing one of thedowel slide pins.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1. with the inoperative needle barand its support illustrated in full or solid lines, and with partsbroken away to show a modified form of construction.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of needle bar, afragment of the supporting lever being illustrated, and the associatedrocker arm being illustrated in section.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughoutthe several views.

Knitting machines of the described type are made in multiple sections,each equipped with at least one needle bar and an oscillatory actuatormechanism to reciprocate the needle bar for normal knitting operations.The actuator includes a rock shaft having lifting arms from which thelevers, the. linkage being manually adjustable to swing the levers intoand out of operating knitting positions. Heretofore it hasgbeennecessary to stop the entire machine in order to remove and replaceneedles or to remove a needle bar,- and so far as I am aware, machinesin commercial use are not operated while such repairs are being made,although attempts have been made to provide means whereby a machine canbe stopped, a needle bar removed and the machine then continued inoperation untillv it is again stopped to permit replacement of the bar.I believe such attempts have not been successful, due

to the difficulty of restoring the needle bar precisely to its originalposition, and also to the inconvenience resulting from a stoppage ofthemachine for two periods of perhaps longer duration than that requiredfor the repair and replacement of needles while the entire machine is atrest. My improved construction provides means for arresting the movementof any given needle bar while the remainder of the machine continues inoperation, including the actuator mechanism for that particular needlebar.

In Figure 1, the rocker shaft I0, arm II, press shaft l2, its arm I3,.link bar I4, needle bar supporting lever I5, the needle bar members I6and I1, and the work table I8 may all be of ordinary construction,except as hereinafter described. The needle bar member, I6 may beconveniently termed the needle bar body. It is mounted upon a cross head20 carried by the upper end of the lever I5 in the illustratedembodiment.

The cross head 20 is integrally connected with the lever I5, and isapertured near its respective ends to receive dowel pins 22 carried bythe body I6. Between the dowel pins and the supporting lever I5 thecross head is provided with depending brackets 23. Above the bracketsthe cross head is' apertured to receive coiled tension springs 24, eachspring being connected at its upper end to the body I6 of the needlebar. Its lower end is connected with the associated bracket 23.

In this embodiment the springs 24 constitute a permanent resilientconnection between the cross head and the needle bar body I6, and thedowel pins 22 are of suflicient length to maintain the relationship ofthe needle bar to its operating mechanism within a limited range ofseparation between the needle bar and the top of the cross head.

At each end of the needle bar body I5 it is provided with an axiallyprojecting stud 21. The work table I 8 is provided with dependingbrackets having rearwardly projecting arms 28, the ex tremities of whichhave hook-shaped sockets 31 in their upper surfaces in which the studs21 may be engaged. Such engagementY may be brought about by manipulatingthe link I4 to push the lower end of the lever I5 rearwardly when thelifting arm I I is at the upper end of its stroke. The extremities ofthe bracket arms 28 are inclined or rounded beyond the sockets 31,whereby the studs 21 may ride upon these inclined or rounded surfaces'when moving toward engagement in the sockets. The needle bar body I6may be locked to the cross head 20 by set screws 39 to avoid anytendency of the springs 24 to yield and allow the parts I6 and 20 toslightly separate when their motion reverses at the upper end of theirstroke. These set screws, if used, will be retracted from theirengagement with the dowel pins 22 before engagement of the studs 21 inthe sockets 31.

When the studs 21 are thus engaged in the sockets 31 the needle bar willbe held against downward movement, although the arm II, the lever I5 andcross head 20, may be moved downwardly and upwardly in correspondencewith the oscillations of the shaft Il). During the downward stroke, thecross head 20 will draw away from the needle bar body I6, but therelationship of these parts will otherwise be maintained by thedistending springs 24 and the sliding engagement of the dowel pins 22.As shown in Figure 4, the dowel pins 22 are preferably in a verticalposition when the body I6 of the needle bar is engaged with the bracketarms 28- Therefore, at the end of each upward stroke of the arm II thecross head 20 will be restored to its normal relationship to the -bodyI6 of the needle bar, and at that time the link I4 may be againmanipulated to pull the lower end of the lever I5 forwardly and restorethe needle bar to its normal knitting position.

While the studs 21 are engaged with the table brackets, needles may beremoved and replaced freely, the needle bar being substantially in astationary position. All other sections of the knitting machine may becontinued in operation, and knitting operations will be suspended onlyin the particular section where the needle bar has been adjusted out ofknitting position and into engagement with the bracket arms 28. Afterthe needles have been repaired or replaced, the release of the needlebar and its restoration to operative position can be made without lossof time and without suspending the operation of the knitting machine.

i In Figure 5 I have illustrated a modification in which the needle barsupporting lever I5a is formed integrally with the needle bar body IGain accordance with common practice as heretofore followed. The needlebar body ISa serves also as the cross head for the lever, but for thepurposes of my invention I provide the ends of the bar with ngers 21a,engageable with sockets 31a in the bracket arms 28a. The lower end ofthe lever I5a is provided with a foot piece 40, having a rounded socketat 4I to receive a resilient stud or latch knob 42 carried by the framemember 43. When the lower end of the lever is engaged with the stud 42,and when the fingers 21a on the needle bar are engaged with the bracketarms 28a, both the lever and the needle bar will be held in a stationaryposition.

To permit the operating arm IIa to continue its oscillation, Iresiliently connect it with the needle bar support or press lever I5a bya tension spring 24a. The extremity of the arm II a carries a head whichhas the form of a slide 45 which is rectangular in cross section andadapted to swing in a slot 46 in the lever I5a, the head having asliding fit in said slot. The slide has a cylindrically rounded top, andat the upper end of its stroke, this top portion enters asemi-cylindrical socket 48 at the upper end of the slot 45.

The spring 24a in Figure 5, and the corresponding springs 24 shown inFigure 3, have sucient residual tension when contracted-to hold togetherunder normal knitting conditions the parts which they connect. Theinertia of the needle bar and the friction of the needles upon thestationary press bar or sinker head 49 is insufcient to overcome thetension of the springs, even when contracted, and therefore the needlebar and its operating connections are substantially operated as anintegral unit, except when the needle bar is hooked to the work table.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the needle bar oscillating arm IIais shown in its depressed position, i. e., at the lower end of itsoscillatory stroke. When it returns to the upper end of its stroke thetop of the slide is in the socket'48, and if the link bar I4a is thenpulled forwardly the latch knob 42 will be pushed downwardly against thetension of its actuating spring to release the lower end of the needlebar supporting lever I5a, whereupon the fingers 31a will be withdrawnfrom their supporting hooks 28a, the needle bar supporting leverswinging pivotally upon the cylindrical top of the slide 45 (Figure havesumcient normal tension to hold until the link notch 50 may receive thestud 32a on the cam actuated press arm |311.

All of the parts may thus be restored to normal operating or knittingposition without any lstoppage ofthe knitting machine to permit such thepartswhich they connect fixedly together under theV stresses of a normalknittingoperation.

bodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive,

may be keyed to the cross head either by set screws indicated at 39 inFigure 3, or by latch keys 56 illustrated in Figure 6.A The latch keysvj then occupying an inclined or abnormal position,

56 are preferred, and will therefore be here described in detail. Theyare adaptable to any form of needle bar having an adjustable relation tothe cross head in which dowel pins or equivalent guides are employed tomaintain the relationship of the adjustable parts.

In Figure 6, the dowel pins are provided with sockets or arcuatechannels in which latch keys 5S are adapted to iit. These keys are eachmountted in an axial bore in the end of the cross head,

-the outer end of which is closed by an axially slotted nut 51 throughwhich a key operating rod 58 extends and is provided with an exterior`knob 59. The rod 58 has a cross pin G0, movable longitudinally in thenut 51 along the slot therein. A compression spring is interposedbetween the nut 51 and the key 56 to hold the key normally in engagementwith,its associated dowel pin 22h. The key 56 can be retracted until thecross pin 60 is withdrawn from the nut 51. Thereupon the knob can berotated until the cross pin 60 spans the slot in the nut 51 and thuslocks the key in the retracted position.

With this construction, all of the parts except the needle bar and crosshead may be of any ordinary construction, in which a link I4 may beadjusted to swing the press lever to an inoperative position, with theneedle bar adjusted forwardly in the direction of the work table, asillustrated by dotted lines in Figure 1. Thereupon, while the needle barsupporting level and needle bar are still being osclllated by the armIl, the knobs 59 at the respective ends of the cross head may beretracted to withdraw and lock the keys 56 in retracted position. Theneedle bar may then be lifted from the cross head and carried tovanysuitable point or table for the repair and replacement of needles. Uponcompletion of this work the needle bar may be returned and placed inposition upon the oscillating cross head, the dowel pins 22h guiding thebar to its correct position, in which it may then be locked by the keys56.

In each of the three embodiments illustrated it is unnecessary to stopthe knitting machine. Any one or more of the needle bars may bewithdrawn from operating position and held either in fixed relation tothe work table or upon any other support if the modication illustratedin Figure 6 is employed. Restoration to operative position of therepaired needle bars is likewise effected without interruption in theoperation of the other parts of the knitting machine, and nodisplacement or disalignment of the needle bar operating mechanism ispossible, particularly in the matter of precision in the relationship ofthe needle bar to the relatively xed sinker head 49.

It will be understood that the tension springs 26 (Figure 3) and thecorresponding spring Na in which it moves bodily along substantiallyverytical lines, from which it deviates only slightly A It is only whenthe needle bar and needle bar supportingv lever are out of normalknitting position, and the needle bar held against movement, that thesprings will be distended to allow the actuating arm Il (or Ha) tocontinue to oscillate, and to also allow the needle bar supporting leverto continue to oscillate when the springs are employed to connect theneedle bar with the needle bar supporting lever or its cross head.

It will be observed, in Figure 4, that the dowel pins 22 occupysubstantially a vertical position when the needle bar body is inengagement .with

the brackets 28, the needle bar supporting lever in correspondence withthe short arc-in which the end of the arm I I swings. This slightarcuate movement is, of course, transferred to the needle bar supportinglever and the needle bar, but it is negligible, and therefore the needlebar is held by the hooks 28 in a substantially xed position while theneedles are being repaired or replaced.

I claim:

1. In a multiplesection Aiiat knitting machine having each sectionequipped with a needle bar and an associated oscillatory actuating armtherefor movable in a vertical plane each section including all of theneedles employed for completing a single fabricated blank. thecombination therewith of connections for normally transmitting themotion of the arm to the needle bar,

and means operable when the needle bar is at the upper end of its strokefor engaging it with a v. fixed support out. of its normal path ofreciprocation, said connections being adapted to yield sufrested, andsaid connections including dowelling ciently to allow continuedoscillation of the arm while the movement of the needle bar is armeansadapted, when the needle bar is released, to precisely guide the needlebar to its original operative relation to the actuating ann, whereby anygiven needle bar may be brought to rest, its needles repaired orreplaced and the bar restored to operative position without delaying theoperation of the other sections. l 2. In a machine of the describedclass, the combination of separate'needle bar mountings, means fornormally reciprocating the mountings in unison, a. needle bar carried byeach mounting in factory predetermined relation thereto and providedwith a complete set of needles for knitting a single fabricated blank, arelatively fixed support, means for engaging the needle barr with saidsupport when at the limit of its reciprocating stroke in one direction,connections adapted to allow the mounting to continue to reciprocatewhen the needle bar isl so engaged, and means for guiding the needle barto its normal operative position on the mounting when released from saidsupport.

3. In a multiple section at knitting machinev provided with individualoscillatory actuators and associated needle bars, each needle bar havinga complete set of needles for knitting a single fabricated blank andeach actuator including a needle bar supporting cross head with whichthe needle bar has sliding dowelling connection, springs normallyholding the needle bar to the cross head, said cross head auditsassociated needle bar being movable out of its normal path ofoscillation, and a relatively fixed support engageable by the needle barwhen the cross head is out of its normal path of oscillation, saiddowelling connections being of suiiicient length to allow the crossheadto reciprocate while in sliding connection with the stationary needlebar, said connections being adapted to guide the needle bar to itsnormal position on the cross head when released f rom the fixed support.

4. In a multiple section flat knitting machine having each ,sectionequipped with a needle support equipped with all the needles requiredfor a single fabricated blank, and an associated oscilla toryactuator,`- the combination,- with each needle support, of resilientmeans for maintaining a yielding connection between the needle supportand the actuator while the needle support is at rest and the actuator inmotion, means for holding the needle support at rest out of the path ofnormal reciprocation, and mechanical means for guiding the needlesupport into normal relationship to the actuator-' .when released fromsaid holding means.A f'

5. In a machine of the described class, a reciprocatory needle barmounting, a needle bar normally carried by the mounting in factorypredetermined relationship theret,means for continuously reciprocatingthe mounting, latch means normally locking the mounting to the needlebar and means, operable while the machine is in motion, for releasingthe needle bar from said latch means and supporting it out of knittingposition while the machine is in operation. y

6. In a machine of the described class, a reciprocatory needle barsupport, a needle bar provided with a complete set of needlesforknitting a single fabricatedv blank and normally carried by the supportin factory predetermined relationship thereto, a xed support with which.the needle bar may be temporarily engaged for repair and replacement ofneedles while its actuating mechanism and all other portions of themachine are in continuous operation, dowelling means for ensuring areturn of the needle bar to its support in precise factory predeterminedposition, said needle bar being removable and replaceable withoutmaterial loss of time in the operation of the other portions of themachine, and manually releasable latch means for normally holding theneedle bar to the support.

7. A flat knitting machine having multiple sections, each equipped witha single needle bar and needles for knitting a complete fabricatedblank, power driven actuating means for normally reciprocating theneedle bar in all of the sections to simultaneously fabricate a set ofblanks corresponding to the number of sections, latching meansretractible while the machine is in operation for releasing the needlebar in any one sec-4 A plete a number of blanks corresponding to thenumber of sections, means for arresting the movement of the needle barin any one of the sections and holding it in a stationary position whileits actuating mechanism continues to reciprocate while those of theother sections are in substantially continuous operation, and means,operable without material loss of time in the operation of the machine,for restoring the arrested needle bar to factory predeterminedrelationship with the actuating mechanism preparatory to fabricating thenext set of blanks, whereby the knitting of any one blank may beinterrupted without material loss of time in the fabrication of theother blanks and in the fabrication of successive sets of blanks.

9. In a multiple section flat knitting machine, the combination of anoscillatoiy operating shaft common to all of the sections and providedwith a permanently attached needle operating member y for each section,a needle support for each section in factory predetermined relationshipto the operating member and normally locked thereto, said support beingequipped with all the needles required for completing a singlefabricated blank, momentarily operable means for unlocking andre-locking said support, and means for holding said support in a fixedposition pending complete fabrication of blanks in the other sections,whereby needles in. any given section may be repaired or replaced while`the blanks in the other sectionA are being completed.

CHARLES W. STRZALKOWSKI.

